Indiana: First anti-Interstate 69 camp set up

The first base camp for resistance to the road has been set up! Yesterday, with permission of landowners set to be affected by I-69, activists set up camp near the first 1.77 miles of the proposed route. We anticipate that this camp will be safe and non-evictable by the authorities for the foreseeable future. First anti I 69 camp set up near beginning of route after weekend of resistance

April 26
roadblockef@yahoo.com stopi69.wordpress.com

The first base camp for resistance to the road has been set up! Yesterday, with permission of landowners set to be affected by I-69, activists set up camp near the first 1.77 miles of the proposed route. We anticipate that this camp will be safe and non-evictable by the
authorities for the foreseeable future. In addition to maintaining a physical presence on site, a number of exciting projects are planned to be hosted there, including:

-Community organizing and dialogues, including public dinners and picnics.
-Documentation of the proposed route and any destructive acts committed by INDOT.
-Distribution of literature.
-Wildlife surveying.
-support for direct action against the construction of the first 1.77 miles

With such a full plate, we definitely need your help! Are you interested in any of these projects or are available to camp? Do you have resources or skills that might be relevant? Do you want to get more involved? If any of these are the case, now is the time to come here!!! (you can get in touch before hand through the email address or website.)

*Weekend of Resistance Reportback
This past weekend, five publicly organized events and a myriad of
autonomous actions occurred to help widen the opposition to the road and up the ante in the fight to shut it down.

The weekend started strong with a potluck at Boxcar Books in Bloomington. 30 people shared food and sat down for discussions about I-69 resistance, with a special focus on the basics of self-organization and starting affinity groups.

The next day, more than 80 people took the streets in a street parade across downtown Bloomington. Luckily, the police remained entirely peaceful, respecting the march's family friendly character. Check out http://www.bloomingtonalternative.com/articles/2008/04/20/9248 for pictures and another account of the parade.

On Monday, the second Bloomington assembly against I-69 was held in the Monroe County Public Library. A number of different community organizing projects were discussed- as these conversations continue to bear fruit, we will send out updates about the diversity of these exciting efforts. The weekend's advertised events were rounded out by two amazing fundraisers- a diner/brunch benefit on Sunday, and an old-time music show at Max's Place on Tuesday. We had a lot of fun at both of them and want to extend big thanks to everyone who made delicious food and great music.

Some successful actions that took place on tuesday day of action:
-An autonomous call for a phone jam against Gohmann A&C was issued. (see http://www.infoshop.org/inews/article.php?story=20080416034558134) We've heard reports that many people got busy signals when they called in, likely reflecting a successful actions.
-Banners were dropped across Evansville and Bloomington. Check out stopi69.wordpress.com for pictures of a few of them.
-Corporations with ties to I-69 went on red-alert on Tuesday, due to hype by Bernardin, Lochmueller, and Associates and various law enforcement agencies, according to the Evansville Courier-Press.

Again, we wanted to express our excitement at working with everyone who helped make the weekend possible and successful. It feels like a strong foundation for the next phase of the struggle, which is just starting now.

*As always, please get in touch with any questions or ideas you might have. We hope to be seeing you all soon!